He lost part of his leg in a near-fatal accident and learned he has cancer, but Northern State's Don Meyer is courtside again in Aberdeen, S.D., doing what he loves best and poised to set the NCAA men's record for wins

Imagine Mark Cuban with three times as many teams and five times as much money. He'd still be a piker compared with the Russian zillionaires who offer a life of luxury to lure world-class athletes and are bankrolling a new national sports machine

Seth Davis's Three-Pointer

1 North Carolina guard Ty Lawson (right) deserves player of the year consideration. Lawson, who has 55 assists to just nine turnovers and has shot 54.5% from the arc, has been the MVP for the 8--0 Heels.

2 It's time to bring back the ACC--Big East Challenge. After the Big East bailed on the series in 1991, the ACC took on the Big Ten, but that "challenge" has been a dud. The ACC took six of the 11 games last week, its 10th straight series victory.

3 Dennis Felton is in trouble at Georgia. The Bulldogs' run to the SEC tournament title saved Felton's job last March, but a 76--42 loss at Illinois last Saturday dropped them to 5--3.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything